In Search Of Porcine Perfection

I was hypnotized; paralyzed by the bronze, glistening body spread before me. Beads of moisture rolled across flawlessly browned skin, made perfect by carefully rotating, exposing every inch of skin to the refining fire that burns like the Balinese sun.

Far from the beaches and bikini-clad partiers of Southern Bali, I stood at the gate of Ibu Oka in Ubud, Bali, the legendary porcine temple and final destination on my pilgrimage to find the best suckling pig on the planet—babi guling.

Humans have been turning swine over fire since Paleolithic times, but none are as revered as Balinese babi guling—suckling pig that’s slathered inside and out with an aromatic spice paste before being spit roasted until the meat is unimaginably tender and the skin turns into crunchy, caramelized pig candy that will make you question everything you knew about the porcine arts.

I let out a breathless moan and my face pointed instinctively and reverently toward the heavens with every bite of the babi guling at Ibu Oka. The pork was tender, juicy and imbued with garlic, ginger and turmeric that lingered on the palate.

The second half of my mission was to learn how to approximate this delicacy back in Tennessee. I knew that cooking it over a spit using coffee wood coconut husks would be optimal, but also impractical, so I was excited to learn from a Balinese chef that it is possible to produce respectable babi guling in a home oven, provided you can talk your local butcher/farmer out of a small, suckling pig—preferably under 20lbs.

The best roast pig is made from very young animals because their flesh is extra rich in collage, the connective protein abundant in young animals that have yet to develop strong muscle fibers. When collagen is heated, it turns to gelatin and makes those intoxicatingly sticky juices that lubricate and coat every inch of moist, tender, and delicate flesh.

The thin, delicate skin and musculature of a suckling pig also allows the aromatic flavors of the bumbu Bali (spice mix) to penetrate far better than with an older pig.

The meat of your finished babi guling should literally fall off the bone and will be incomparably juicy and tender with a mild, sweet flavor. There’s no clean, dignified way to eat suckling pig.

To get all of the precious meat off the bones, you just have to dive right in with your fingers. Is there any joy greater than sharing a suckling pig with your friends and family? I submit that there is not.

Ingredients

1 suckling pig—13-17 lb

3 tbsp salt

10 shallots, peeled and sliced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 in piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

15 candlenuts, chopped

4 in piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

2 in piece of galangal, finely chopped

25-30 bird’s-eye chilies

10 stalks lemon grass, sliced

1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp dried shrimp paste, roasted

5 makrut lime leaves, julienned

2 salam/Indian bay leaves (or substitute curry leaf)

2 ½ tbsp chili oil

6 tbsp turmeric water (recipe below)

Coconut oil for basting

Directions

1. Scrape or shave the hair off the skin, remove the internal viscera and wash the internal cavity completely. Season inside and outside with salt.

3. Combine the remaining ingredients (except the turmeric water) and mix thoroughly. Fill the inside of the suckling pig with this mixture and sew the belly shut with twine.

4. Rub the outside of the pig with turmeric water until the skin begins to turn yellow.

5. Bake on a spit over a charcoal fire (dried coconut husks are even better) or in a 275°F oven for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours (depending on size)—the innermost joints should register around 160°F on a thermometer. While cooking, baste regularly with remaining turmeric water and coconut oil.

6. Once your pig’s internal temp hit’s 160°F, wrap the ears with aluminum foil (to prevent burning) and increase the temperature to 500°F. Roast until the skin is crisp all over. The skin should sound hollow and crack when tapped with a wooden spoon.

7. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes loosely tented with foil. Serve whole and use your fingers to pull the tender, juicy meat right from the bones.

Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan who has traveled abroad extensively, trained chefs, and owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits